Chapter 46: I Found You a Job

At the beginning of the xu hour, the lights were just coming on.

“After all the trouble today, the Princess Consort was distressed and angry, leading to menstrual abdominal pain. Nanny Xu has prepared the medicine according to the prescription for the Princess Consort to take. It is crucial she avoids spicy food, cold drinks, getting agitated, or exerting her mind. Rest for a day and she will be fine.”

The Female Doctor whispered her instructions, but Granny Xu, walking beside her, could only sigh inwardly.

Avoiding certain foods is easy, but the situation at the Prince’s Mansion… The Du Family is watching for opportunities outside, and internally, there are countless affairs that the Princess Consort must handle alone.

Today, over a dozen people, including The Du Brothers and their female relatives, have been temporarily detained by Prefect Li Fengrao, yet inexplicably, enmity has arisen between us and the behemoth known as the State Religion. How easy is it to achieve ‘no worries, no mental exertion’?

Granny Xu saw the Female Doctor out of the mansion gate.

After saying goodbye, she saw a young servant in blue accompanied by a young maid waiting nearby, seemingly for someone.

The maid was young, but her face was heavily made up, giving her a worldly air.

Granny Xu felt displeased and turned to ask Hu Jiangjiu, who was guarding the mansion gate, “Who are they, and what are they doing here?”

Hu Jiangjiu was a bit simple-minded, but he knew some things shouldn’t be said, so he just gave a silly laugh to evade the question.

Seeing this, Granny Xu simply walked down the steps herself and asked, “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

The heavily made-up maid proudly puffed out her chest. “I am the maid of Miss Ye Han from Pinshu Pavilion! You know Squad Leader Ding of the Prince’s Mansion, right? The one who killed the bandit leader, The Third Place Scholar Li! My mistress heard that Squad Leader Ding was nearly wronged today, so she specifically invited him to Pinshu Pavilion for a drink to relax.”

“Your mistress knows Squad Leader Ding?”

“Nanny, what kind of question is that?” The maid spoke flirtatiously. “Squad Leader Ding braided my mistress’s hair. How could she not know him?”

As the two were speaking, Ding Suian, dressed in a sapphire blue spring robe, exited the mansion gate.

Xu hour sharp, Pinshu Pavilion back courtyard.

Silk and bamboo music drifted ethereally between the pavilions and waterside structures, interspersed with several independent, exquisite small courtyards.

It is said that only the most popular courtesans and high-class singing girls are afforded the privilege of having their own courtyard.

Night Contain’s courtyard was named: Hehuan Cage.

The name was truly alluring.

Ding Suian had to once again marvel at Pinshu Pavilion’s naming ability.

Night Contain led Ding Suian to the entrance of the Hehuan Cage small hall and whispered, “Young Master, please enter. Chief Officer and Inspector Sun are already waiting inside.”

“Mm.”

Inside the hall, a few small dishes were placed on a round table. Ruan Guofan and Inspector Sun were drinking together. Seeing Ding Suian enter, Ruan Guofan casually pointed to the seat beside him, “Sit.”

Ding Suian sat down as instructed. Inspector Sun was much gentler this time than the last meeting, and proactively said, “Make yourself comfortable. Do you want to eat something first?”

“Alright.”

Ding Suian agreed readily, picked up his chopsticks, and shouted toward the door, “Night Contain, go to the stove and get me a bowl of rice, a big bowl!”

“…”

“…”

Half an hour later, the dishes Ruan and Sun were using to accompany their wine had been swept clean by Ding Suian like a whirlwind. Only then did he contentedly wipe his mouth.

The two West Yamen big shots exchanged silent glances. Inspector Sun was the one who spoke first, “It was fortunate that a high monk from Shaoling Temple helped you today, otherwise the consequences would have been hard to predict.”

Ruan Guofan agreed deeply, worry etched between his brows. “The Immortal Master of the State Religion failed in his ‘Demon Investigation’ today, damaging his prestige. You need to be careful next.”

“Thank you for the Chief Officer’s reminder, but if a small Squad Leader like myself is resented by the State Religion, how much good will being careful do?”

“Although that is true, you are ultimately a member of my West Yamen, and my West Yamen does not have a habit of abandoning its brothers!” Inspector Sun said something quite domineering in a gentle tone, then added, “You had merit in the Jintai Temple case. The imperial court’s reward has been given, but my West Yamen will also not fail to reward merit.”

During the day, Inspector Sun had already announced the imperial court’s rewards: the entire An Squad was credited with merit once, and every Soldier who participated in the Jintai Temple night battle was further rewarded with a Medicinal Pill manufactured by the Imperial Pharmacy Bureau.

Even the constables of the Lanyang Prefecture Yamen benefited and received commendations.

Ruan Guofan followed up on Inspector Sun’s words and smiled, “The West Yamen rewards merit by granting you the authority to Establish a Qu! Go back tonight and think carefully, then hand me a list tomorrow.”

‘Establish a Qu’ can loosely be interpreted as establishing a military/intelligence unit.

Due to the secretive nature of the Shadow Division, absolute trust is required between superiors and subordinates. Therefore, grassroots intelligence organizations are mostly led by key personnel serving as Qu Leaders, who select members themselves to establish intelligence teams.

They possess considerable independence and autonomy.

“Oh?” Ding Suian, who had been listless, immediately perked up. He stood up and cupped his hands toward Central Heaven, “Thank you, Your Highness, for the promotion!”

Then he cupped his fists toward Ruan Guofan and Inspector Sun and said, “Thank you, two sirs, for the promotion!”

Seeing Ding Suian being so quick-witted, Inspector Sun couldn’t help but laugh, and Ruan Guofan also seemed much more relaxed. He took a sip of the wine in his cup, picked up his chopsticks intending to grab a dish, but found only a few empty plates on the table, looking as if a dog had licked them clean.

In the end, Ruan Guofan dipped the tip of his chopsticks in some sauce remaining on the plate and sucked on it.

On that side, Ding Suian didn’t wait until tomorrow. He immediately spread out paper and ground ink, quickly writing down a few names. “We’ll start with five people; the remaining positions can be filled later.”

Ruan Guofan took the list, glanced over it, and felt both surprised and yet that it made perfect sense.

At the beginning of the hai hour, Ding Suian rose to take his leave. Before departing, he abruptly asked, “Uncle, does the world truly contain demons?”

Hearing Ding Suian change his address, Ruan Guofan smiled slightly, but spoke with exceptional conviction, “Of course there are demons!”

“Thank you, Uncle, for clearing up my confusion.”

Ding Suian cupped his fists, turned, and left.

Inside the small hall, Ruan Guofan stood at the doorway, watching Ding Suian’s retreating figure gradually merge into the heavy night.

Inspector Sun strolled up beside him, looked toward the brightly lit front courtyard, and asked with a smile, “Hard Goods, worried?”

Ruan Guofan immediately retorted, “Sun Wuji! Asking for a scolding!”

The two men called each other by their youthful nicknames, and time seemed to instantly rewind twenty years, causing them both to fall into reminiscence.

After a long time, Ruan Guofan sighed softly, “I always feel that Yuanxi has noticed something.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a hunch.”

“Heh heh, instead of worrying about this, why not worry about that person. If he finds out, you’ll definitely get a beating.”

At the third quarter of the hai hour, Ding Suian returned to Diying Garden.

Walking outside the bedroom door, his heart suddenly gave a warning. Someone was inside the room!

This feeling was strange. At least before, his hearing had never been this sharp.

He figured this was the benefit brought by reaching Minor Achievement in the Chenggang Realm.

Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he listened carefully. The familiar rhythm of the person’s breathing in the room immediately allowed him to identify them.

Logically, Princess Consort Sister shouldn’t be so childish as to play this kind of hide-and-seek game.

Recalling how Granny Xu had bumped into the people from Pinshu Pavilion who had come to invite him earlier that night, he immediately guessed the reason why Lin Hansu was waiting here.

He pushed the door open, entered the room, pulled out a fire starter, blew it alight, and lit the desk candle.

“Ah!”

The moment he turned around, he saw Lin Hansu, dressed in red, sitting in a chair, her face slightly pale, her delicate brows tightly furrowed. Ding Suian feigned shock and patted his chest repeatedly, “Sister, why are you sitting here instead of sleeping in the middle of the night! You nearly scared me to death.”

Lin Hansu kept her devastatingly beautiful face taut, offering not a hint of a smile. “Where did you go!”

“I went out to take care of some business, heh heh.”

“Was Miss Ye Han fragrant?”

“…” Ding Suian chuckled, “Granny Xu sure talks fast. Is Sister angry?”

Seeing his cheeky smile, Lin Hansu couldn’t help but hiss in frustration. She raised her hand to press against her lower abdomen and said urgently, “Ding Suian, you underestimate me, Lin Hansu! Would I really compete with a woman of the world? I’m angry at you! Do you think that just because The Du Family is imprisoned and the State Religion has temporarily retreated, the matter is over? You made the Head of the State Religion lose face today; how could they possibly let this go!”

Only then did Ding Suian notice that Lin Hansu’s complexion was wrong, as if she was enduring pain. He put away his playful thoughts. “What’s wrong? Stomach ache?”

Lin Hansu ignored Ding Suian’s question, continuing to clutch her stomach. “They will definitely find a way to harm you! Is now the time for pleasure-seeking?”

With that, Lin Hansu bent down and dragged a bundle from under the chair. “Inside the bundle is a letter written to Lin Dafu. The Qiaodao Local Army will join the Southern Expedition next month. I asked him to find a way to temporarily transfer you under his command. You should go hide in the army first!”

The Great Wu has this tradition.

Whenever there is a campaign, some low-ranking officers from the Imperial Guards are transferred to serve in the Local Army, partly to strengthen the Imperial Court’s control over the Local Army, and partly to reinforce the Local Army’s core structure and enhance their combat strength.

Ding Suian picked up the bundle and opened it.

At the very top was Lin Hansu’s handwritten letter. Beneath it were neatly folded changes of clothes, a thick wad of silver notes, and dry rations for the journey.

In his mind, he couldn’t help but picture Lin Hansu meticulously packing his luggage while simultaneously being angry.

Meanwhile, Lin Hansu’s simple action of bending over to retrieve the bundle caused a fine layer of sweat to bead on her forehead from the pain, yet she continued to chatter instructions, “You must leave first thing tomorrow! I’ve already instructed Lin Dafu in the letter to let you serve as a Personal Guard in his tent, so you won’t need to face the blades directly. Although Southern Zhao is weak, don’t be reckless! Lin Dafu will help you purchase some Military Merits.”

“If I leave, what will happen to Sister?”

“The State Religion can’t touch me temporarily, so you don’t need to worry. When the army returns, Lin Dafu will arrange for you to stay in Central Heaven. If you don’t return to Lanyang, the Head of the State Religion here won’t be able to trouble you again.”

“Sister, I found—”

“Don’t interrupt, let me finish!” Lin Hansu was slightly domineering. She continued, “When you leave tomorrow morning, ride the Xieyan. I had originally planned to celebrate your Birthday properly tomorrow, but now…”

At this point, her voice trembled uncontrollably, showing clear emotional distress, and her tone softened unconsciously. “From now on in Central Heaven, live a good life. You have a restless nature, so you should find a steady Young Lady to be your wife, one who can keep you in check. Don’t imitate those dissolute youths who frequent pleasure quarters.”

Having finished speaking, the two fell silent.

After a long silence, Lin Hansu seemed reluctant to let the atmosphere become too mournful. She tilted up her charming face and said softly, “What were you trying to say just now?”

“What I was trying to say was, I found Sister a job, and it even pays a monthly salary of two taels and eight fen of silver.”